Columbia rallies past Yale

Staff and wire reports

Updated 8:11 pm, Saturday, October 27, 2012

The Yale football team, playing with sophomore tailback Tyler Varga filling in as quarterback with the top three signal-callers all out due to injury, came within 45 seconds of beating Columbia. But the Lions were able to rally by Elis 29-26 on a last-minute touchdown pass in New York.

Sean Brackett rushed for a touchdown and threw for two more, the second a 2-yard pass to Marcorus Garrett with 45 seconds left to give Columbia the victory.

The Lions, who trailed 14-5 midway through the third quarter, got a third-quarter score from Jake Wanamaker, whose 4-yard touchdown catch was the first of his career.

Brackett, who was 33 of 47 passing for 328 yards, also scored on a 2-yard run in the fourth quarter. But Varga, who had touchdown runs of 28, 3 and 25 yards, scored to regain the lead for the Bulldogs (2-5, 1-3). A two-point conversion run by Mordecai Cargill made it 22-19.

Brackett wasn't finished. He passed Columbia downfield, then hit Garrett for Columbia's first win over Yale since 2001.